As computers and communication devices become ever faster and the demand for signal communication within processing systems increases, there is a corresponding need to increase the speed of interconnections between the components used in such systems. Conventional electronic circuits have difficulties in achieving data speeds between components greater than about 10-15 Gbps over any appreciable distance. While optical systems can achieve much higher speeds than electronic circuits, they are more expensive to fabricate, and this greater expense has been an obstacle to the use of optical interconnects.